Stolen puppies returned, waiting line for those who wish to adopt (video):

Ann DeMatteo, New Haven Register

Published 12:00 am, Sunday, December 12, 2010

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Erin O'Connor, kennel manager at Animal Haven in North Haven hold the two three month old lab shepard mix puppies that were abducted overnight from the shelter and are now safely back home. VM Williams 12.10.10

Erin O'Connor, kennel manager at Animal Haven in North Haven hold the two three month old lab shepard mix puppies that were abducted overnight from the shelter and are now safely back home. VM Williams 12.10.10

Stolen puppies returned, waiting line for those who wish to adopt (video):

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NORTH HAVEN -- Business was as brisk as the weather and the phones were ringing like Santa's sleigh bells Friday at Animal Haven, as people offered to adopt two puppies that had been snatched from the no-kill shelter Wednesday night.

Animal Haven employees, Animal Control Officer Dave Carney and police Detectives John Wilcox and Mark Guidone worked together to solve the puppy caper, and now the 12-week-olds are out of harm's way and waiting to be adopted.

Guidone and his wife, Roseann, are first in line for the female black Labrador, and another couple has put a hold on the male shepherd-chow mix, according to Animal Haven manager Erin O'Connor. Other folks are also waiting to adopt them, if those adoptions don't take place.

Meanwhile, arrest warrants are pending for the 20-year-old man and woman police say are responsible for the dogs' disappearance. The North Haven man and Hamden woman allegedly broke into Animal Haven at 89 Mill Road Wednesday night.

"They said they wanted a dog for Christmas," Mark Guidone said.

Animal Haven employees reported the two puppies missing Thursday morning when they realized that a side door to the shelter had been jimmied open. Locks were being upgraded Friday, O'Connor said.

O'Connor said police and animal control were called immediately.

While Carney was at the town's pound on Universal Drive later that morning, a dog matching the description of the shepherd-chow was dropped off.

Carney said he saw a car driving off with a black Labrador inside.

"I went out and told them to get back here," Carney said.

Because the young man was giving up the dog he claimed to have found on the road, Carney made him fill out some paperwork, which became helpful in the police investigation.

O'Connor then went to the animal shelter, where she identified the shepherd-chow. Carney gave O'Connor the name of the young man and she contacted police.

Guidone and Wilcox then found out where the man lived and were waiting for him when he arrived home in the afternoon with the black Lab in tow.

The puppy was then returned to Animal Haven, but not before Guidone made a connection with it.

Friday afternoon, Roseann Guidone was holding the puppy at Animal Haven while one of her children, Mark Jr., 2, and Vincenza Liuzzi, were taking in the scenery.

If the Guidones decide not to adopt, plenty of others are interested. Since the puppies were shown on television Thursday, about 40 people have taken a look at them, and at least 20 people called, O'Connor said.

O'Connor said it's a sign of the times that someone would break into an animal shelter to steal puppies.

"I love to get my family Christmas presents, but I'm not going to steal them," she said.

Animal Haven President Liz Gallagher said she and her staff were very upset by the break-in.

"Our animals are our family and when someone breaks into your home, you feel violated,' she said.

"I'm so relieved that the North Haven Police Department and animal control officer found the puppies. They did a fantastic job in determining who stole them. It gave us peace of mind, but waiting three hours for the second puppy to come back was real torture," she said.

Three other members of the black Lab's litter and six others from the shepherd-chow's litter can also be adopted, as well as 24 other dogs and more than 100 cats and kittens.

It takes about two weeks to adopt an animal because families must be screened and the animals must be spayed or neutered. The minimum adoption donation for a cat or kitten is $125. An adult dog is $125 and a puppy is $150.